Quarterly Reading Wrap-Up: January-March 2018

Welcome to my first quarterly reading wrap-up of 2018! In case you’re new here (hi!), I do one of these every three months. In this post, I’ll discuss all the books I read in January, February, and March; provide some reading statistics; and tell you all about my favorite and least favorite reads of this quarter. Sound good? Let’s talk about some books!

reading statistics

Total number of books read this quarter: 34

Rereads: 2

New reads: 32

Books DNFed: 2 (not counted in reading total above)

A full third of the books I read this quarter were YA contemporaries, which isn’t surprising, since the majority of the review copies I receive fall into this genre. I also read a decent amount from my other favorite genres: graphic novels, historical fiction, and adult fiction. The only number here that really surprises me is the fantasy total! I’ve strayed away from fantasy over the past few years, so it’s surprising to me that fantasy books still make up a decent amount of my overall reading.

This data was surprising for me, because I’ve felt so “meh” about my reading year thus far! I think it’s because I just started racking up five-star reads in March. But still, it’s great to see that I enjoyed the overwhelming majority of what I’ve read so far in 2018! (And those of you who know me know that I’m a pretty… realistic… reviewer who doesn’t rate books highly if they don’t deserve it, so this means I’ve done a pretty good job of picking my reads this year so far. Good job, past Madalyn!) As usual, I’m heavy on four-star ratings.

goal progress

My Goodreads reading goal for this year is set at 120 books, and as of the end of this quarter I am slightly ahead (by six books) and have completed 29% of my challenge. Not bad!

Read my owned TBR books. |FAIL. Ha. Hahahahaha. Ha. Beginning-of-the-year me was so optimistic. I will say, though, I’ve done a really great job of reading new books right after I buy them, so that’s a start, right? RIGHT???

Have at least 85% of my reading be books by and/or about marginalized people. | FAIL. Noooooo! I was really surprised to see that my total for this is only at 59% this quarter. I mean, I still read predominately books by and/or about marginalized people, but I really hope to get this number up next quarter. (In 2017, my percentage was about 81% for the entire year, for reference.)

Read more nonfiction and more literary fiction. These are two of my favorite genres that I tend to neglect in favor of other books, but I want to make a concerted effort to read more from both these areas in 2018. I also want to stay more on top of new releases in these genres. | PASS, kinda. I definitely will call this a win on the literary fiction front, but I only read one nonfiction book this quarter. Still, that’s better than nothing, right?

biggest disappointments

Ah, yes. There are always inevitably some books that disappoint you, and I suppose I’m lucky it’s just these four– pretty good, considering this wrap-up covers three whole months of reading. Reign of the Fallen was just underwhelming, All of This Is True was beyond dull, and Witch and Finding Felicity were both kinda problematic (click the covers to read my full reviews of those two).

honorable mentions

Just some 4.5 star reads that might not have reached that full 5 stars, but deserve a shoutout nonetheless.

the top three favorites

*Not including rereads

Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O’Neill // This is such a short, simple graphic novel, but it’s full of wonderful representation and endless amounts of cuteness. It challenges gender stereotypes and heteronormativity, the romance is adorable, and the art is beautiful. Plus, it was so great to see my weight and my sexuality represented in one character. <3 Can’t recommend this one highly enough!

Red Clocks by Leni Zumas // I expected to like Red Clocks, but I did not expect to love it as much as I did. It’s a sci-fi/dystopian? set in a very-near-future version of the US where the Personhood Amendment, which outlaws abortions and IVF as well as imposes other restrictions on reproduction, has been passed. We follow four different POV characters, who we know only by their archetypes (The Mother, The Daughter, The Biographer, and The Mender). This story was harrowing and… honestly, it hit horrifyingly close to home. Zumas narrows in on the real implications and consequences of such an amendment, and it shows how such a law further dehumanizes women. Her writing is a bit experimental, but it’s still accessible. I listened to the audiobook, which I would recommend! It was great. Shoutout to my bff Emily for this rec, which was, as usual with her recommendations, excellent.

Save the Date by Morgan Matson // Save the Date is probably my favorite book I read this quarter. Is it as impactful or representative as the other two books in my top three? No. But did it hit home for me? Yes, in a way I completely didn’t expect. The Grant family reminded me so much of my own family. I loved Charlie’s character growth, even over such a short time period. I adored the fact that this book focused on family and relationships other than romantic ones. Romance plays a very small part in this story, but it’s still sweet. Not to mention, Save the Date was also endlessly fun to read and had no shortage of hilarious moments. Basically, Morgan Matson still has my heart. She nailed it with this release.

That’s all for this wrap-up! What was the best book you read this quarter? Have you read any of the books on my list? Let’s chat in the comments!

Madalyn is a 20-something musician and lifelong lover of reading. When she's not reading or singing, you're likely to find her drinking coffee, traveling, or buying more lipstick than one person could possibly need.

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19 responses to “Quarterly Reading Wrap-Up: January-March 2018”

Wow looks like good reading so far this year. And yay to being ahead on the GR challenge. Sad that Finding Felicity was a disappointment but happy that Save the Date was a favorite. Can’t wait for that one!!

Wow, seems like you’ve had a good start to the year! I’ve literally only managed to finish 3 books so far this year, I want to cry hahaha. Kudos to you for starting to read books right after buying them! I desperately need to get into that habit. I’m a little embarrassed about the number of books I have on my shelves that have been sitting there for years… Sorry to see that Reign of the Fallen was disappointing for you! I actually bought that a couple of months ago, but haven’t picked it up yet (remember that thing I just said about needing to read books more quickly after I buy them???). I also desperately need to try reading one of Matson’s books. I can’t believe I still haven’t read anything she’s written.

Ah, hey, three books is still good! And yeah, it’s a habit I’m trying to keep up for the rest of the year… it basically started because my parents got me a year-long Book of the Month subscription for my birthday, and I’m terrified of all of the books I receive through that just piling up, hahaha. Reign of the Fallen wasn’t BAD (and always yay for more bi rep in YA), but it wasn’t a standout fantasy like I hoped it might be. Matson is one of my forever faves; you totally need to try one of her books!!

Girl you are way more than slightly ahead! Haha, I’m barely staying above water with my goal. I foolishly challenged myself to read 145 books ugh. And I agree that Reign of the Fallen was a pretty disappointing book. I liked it okay, but had such high hopes for it!

I’m terrified I’m gonna fall behind, so I’m trying to pad my goal as much as possible in the early months of the year so I have more room for my inevitable failure toward the end of the year, haha. Reign of the Fallen wasn’t terrible, but I completely agree with you; I wanted much more from it!

Most of the books I read are normally contemporaries too, but I’m trying to branch out and choose a variety of genres each month! I think contemporaries are just the quickest for me to read through, and I’m always pressured to read as many books as I can. But YAY for having a good reading month!!! I’ve heard a lot of good things about RED CLOCKS but I never looked up the synopsis … now that you described it, I AM SO INTERESTED. And I’m so happy you liked SAVE THE DATE! I’ll read anything related to weddings now since I’m planning mine, and this one will be perfect during the summer!

Yes, I feel EXACTLY the same way about contemporaries! I definitely enjoy them, but I also tend to pick them up more often because they’re easy for me to breeze through. Red Clocks was SO good; you have to check it out! And Save the Date will make for a perfect summer read, especially leading up to your wedding!!

Wow, great job with all the reading you’ve done so far this year! I love the pie charts that break down exactly what you read/rated/etc. I set so many reading goals for myself this year, and I am a little more behind than I should be, but that’s okay because we still have time to catch up! I recently read Starry Eyes, and really enjoyed it, and I can’t wait to read Save the Date!

Starry Eyes and Foolish Hearts were both stellar reads for me. They are everything I love in a YA contemporary. I am excited about the new Matson. It’s been a while since I read a book by her, and the synopsis makes the book sound awesome PLUS it was one of your faves.

I have been kindly reminded that I have failed in my reading so far… The disappointment is real, haha. 😞 Please tell me your magical methods of reading so quickly! 😅 I haven’t read any of the books you mentioned, though!

[…] you’re new here (hi!), I do one of these every three months. You can find my quarter one wrap-up here. In this post, I’ll discuss all the books I read in April, May, and June; provide some reading […]